I’ve always been interested in food and cooking especially...

...making things from scratch. After we found out my son was allergic to dairy I became even more involved in what my family eats and where our food comes from. I started blogging because I wanted to share what I was cooking and document the building of our new house. Because baking is my favorite thing to do I couldn’t resist joining the Daring Bakers.

How long have you been a Daring Baker/Daring Cook and what’s your favorite thing about being in the group(s) so far?

My first Daring Baker challenge was in April 2008, which was the cheesecake pop challenge. Ack, cheesecake for the first challenge when we don’t eat dairy! Some soy cream cheese and a good college try and I made it through. Even though there are plenty of recipes I not interested in making initially I like that I’m giving up control and experimenting with someone else’s favorite thing to bake.

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? How about your favorite kitchen appliance?

I love my mini offset spatula, it’s great for spreading frosting, loosening cakes, lifting cut out cookies and other jobs that just wouldn’t be as easy without the thin blade and that kink. Appliance-wise, I am fond of my Kitchen Aid mixer and all the attachments for it.

Are you known for making a certain dish or dessert? If so, what is it?

My son is a big fan of my chocolate chip cookies.

Is there any recipe and/or technique that we haven’t covered yet that you’d really like to make/learn?

Speculaas or springerle cookies would be a fun challenge. I know a lot of people would complain that they don’t want to buy a mold for something that they may only make once but I think there are a lot of unused cookie molds out there that need some love. I got one from my sister-in-law recently and need to use it before it gets relegated to the dusty corner of a kitchen drawer.

Do you have a favorite movie? Book? Genre of music? Actor? Actress?

I “devour” non-fiction food books, two favorites are On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I also read mysteries, science fiction and fantasy. I really like the Angel series by Sharon Shinn.

What is the ultimate comfort food to you?

Cheese pierogi, cooked in butter and fried onions, though a bowl of buttered rice is a close second.

Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite.. why?

Autumn-- I love the harvest, the colors, the weather, and Halloween. It’s Michigan’s best season.

Other than cooking and/or baking.. what hobbies do you enjoy?

I garden, read, test video games for my husband (he makes Raptisoft Games) and build Legos with my son.

How long have you been blogging? Do you like it? What’s your favorite post you’ve written?

I’ve been blogging for over three years and I love it. It’s something I do only for myself not for my kids or husband, though of course I’m often baking or cooking for them the documentation and photo taking aren’t to please someone else or teach as much as they are just fun for me to do. My favorite posts are the series I did on growing indoor mushrooms. They were so much fun to watch grow!

What’s your favorite cookbook for desserts/baking? What’s your favorite cookbook for savory/cooking?

I’m not a big collector of cookbooks because there is always the library and so much to try online but for basics I like to check The Martha Stewart Cookbook for her take before I research more.

Is there one food that you seriously dislike/hate? If so, which is it and why?

I used to have a real problem with pickled herring, a New Year’s day tradition in my husband’s family, but while I don’t love it I’m growing to dislike it less. Mostly I just hate overly processed food.

What’s your favorite flower and/or plant?

I love peonies and sassafras is my favorite tree.

Do you have a favorite local restaurant? If so, why is it your favorite and what kind of food is served there?

We don’t eat out much because of my son’s allergies but I love the Cornish pasties at Cousin Jennie’s in Traverse City.

Who taught you how to cook and/or bake?

My father and my maternal grandmother were my biggest teachers but I can’t forget Mrs. Navorette in middle school home ec who taught me how to measure flour properly.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas because of the tree and the COOKIES!

Where is your favorite vacation (holiday) destination?

We love the coast of South Carolina.

The Martha – Angel of Domestication or Minion of Evil? Why?

I love Martha. There are more than enough people telling us the easy/quick/instant way to do things. Of course don’t let her make you feel guilty but if you are interested in trying new things then she’s there with the knowledge.

Do you watch any competitive cooking shows? Like Top Chef or Hell’s Kitchen? If so, which is your favorite and why?

I’m an avid fan of Top Chef because I do think there is interesting things to learn about techniques and food combinations and heck the drama can be interesting. The same can be said for Iron Chef but I don’t see the point of Hell’s Kitchen. They rarely even show what food is being made or how.

What’s your favorite “sweet” spice? How about your favorite “savory” spice?

For sweet and savory my favorite spice is ginger, can’t get enough of it.

Is there one recipe on your blog that you would like to share with us? If so, leave the link here.

Even though it’s only something you should do a few times a year, I love to make homemade candy. One thing I want to share with all of the other dairy-allergic out there is my vegan caramel. If you are a caramel nut and can’t have dairy you won’t be sorry you made this.

You can visit Maggie on her blog Dog Hill Kitchen